3000 miles 'til dinner.

Original MIL Mission #39: Rich chocolate pudding

Oh lordy. Just when I thought things couldn’t be better than the Killer Brownies or Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake recipes, MIL had to go and do something like this. I too am a pudding and custard lover. But I was quite happy with my chocolate pudding that came in a plastic cup with a foil top that came off with an easy “snap” of the plastic tab. Seriously.

But my world went topsy-turvy when MIL put out this recipe for homemade pudding that was both quick and easy. Say what? I say YES!

♥HOW I MADE IT.♥

Alrighty, let’s get started.

I was having a get-together at my house with several friends so I decided to use one of MIL’s “helpful hints” and turn the rich chocolate pudding into a rich chocolate cream pie. Plus, I had never made MIL’s Basic Tart or Pie Crust recipe yet, so I thought now was a better time than ever. So first we start off the the crust.

I added the flour, sugar and salt into the processor and pulsed to mix.

Buttery troops all lined up. Ready to serve!

I added the butter to the flour mixture and pulsed…

… until it turned into a nice course meal, with some buttery chunks still visible.

I separated my egg yolks into a bowl.

And then mixed it with water and drizzled the mix into my processor through the feed tube. I mixed until the pastry was just starting to come together. Here was my “test pinch” that MIL suggested. Holds together nicely, doesn’t crumble and isn’t too sticky. I hope!

Then I divided my dough into two little balls and allowed them to rest for 20 minutes. Go to sleep, my little pretties.

After 20 minutes, I started to roll out my dough. 

And then I pressed it into my pie pan and pricked the bottom with a fork. I didn’t know what this was for, but I’m glad I didn’t skip it! I realized later this was to release any steam that was collecting underneath the pie crust so that it wouldn’t balloon up during baking!

I chilled the pie shells in the freezer for 20 minutes and then lined it with parchment paper and the dried rice.

Lastly, into the oven they went for about 15 minutes!

And now on to the good stuff. =)

I started off with preparing my chocolate because frankly, that’s the best part. I used Ghirahdelli chocolate as a shout out to my hometown: Holler back S.F.!! 

These are called the gratuitous chocolate shots. Because… well, you know.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory gold-wrapped bars!

One inch blocks, ya see?

Next step: mix my sugar, salt and cornstarch together in a pot until they’re blended.

I added the milk and egg yolks and started to stir continuously.

Boil and bubble, soon-to-be chocolatey trouble.

After the mixture boiled for about a minute, I added the chocolate, vanilla and butter. Oh so smoooooth….

Then I poured the still warm pudding (strained through wire mesh strainer) into my baked pie crust and ta-da!

I allowed the pie to cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then chilled it in the fridge for about 3 hours, plenty of time before guests started to arrive.

♥MIL MISSION #39: ACCOMPLISHED.♥

OK, I know this isn’t a very impressive shot of my end result pie. And also, I know I don’t have a photo of my whipped cream (which I made with great success!). But let me tell you… it’s really, really difficult to take a photo of the finished chocolate cream pie once you set it out in front of a crowd. That was my mistake folks. I mean… I didn’t have a chance!! The above photo is the best I could do in between slices. But trust me. This pie is oh-so-delicious. Creamy, rich and chocolatey good. And there was not one small sliver left. Let that be proof for you!

I will definitely be making this again… most likely in true pudding form. And most likely with some espresso powder added a la MIL’s wing-it.

♥PLATE IT, ATE IT, GRADED IT.♥

scale: 0 (not at all) to 5 (very)

Cupboard to table time: 4.5 hours (includes crust, filling and chilling time)

Difficulty: 3 (only because there were multiple steps, but overall not as hard as I thought!)

Deliciousness: 5

Impressed Husband (and crowd) factor: 5

Leftover-friendly: None whatsoever… total group success!